People come first

2023 CALENDAR

Heart, discipline and consistenc, the strength of simplicity that disarms prejudice.

Jean Carlos aka B0mba
from Quarto.

The boxer with a gentle soul.

He was born with gloves on his hands. He was raised in a ring on bread and punches. The boxing ingredients are all there: powerful arms, a highly disciplined attitude, good eyesight and a very gentle soul. Jean Carlos Sanchez Mata, known as Bomba to friends, is first and foremost an all-round fighter.  He is at one with himself in the outskirts of Naples, despite being 8,000 km – as the crow flies – from his native Dominican Republic. This is because he has carved his place in the world on a padded square bound by four poles here in Quarto. This is where he comes to life. A life marked by the sound of punches: jabs, hooks and uppercuts. This is where Bomba’s heart beats to the rhythm of his rope skipping. Boxing is not his pastime, it’s what makes him pulse.
It is what shapes and represents him.This tough guy with such a gentle soul has found that simplicity is his most pungent characteristic.
Bomba is disarming, he is the complete opposite of the stereotype of a foreigner, as far from any rough bad-mannered description as you can imagine. He’s a good guy, he’s got will power, a helpful streak and caring attitude and he’s striving to achieve his goals. He’s so dedicated to sport that it has become his bread and butter.

He quickly understood that discipline was key. He fights hard in the ring, he prays hard off the ‘square’, and he loves hard, excessively hard. He’s a champion in the making, progressing daily thanks to this Quarto-based Milleculure Sport Centre and trainers Patrizio Oliva, Bruno Valente, Fabrizio Di Meo who are helping shape him along his journey, as friendly opponents do, as parents or brothers would. They have become his guardians of resilience.
Bomba is your everyday guy. He shares his stories, both his victories and defeats on his social media profile breaking down that virtual distance by sharing his workouts and asking his followers to do the same. He’s always fighting for results. In a world where it is possible to idolise all kinds of sports stars, he looks to the past to find his hero. If only he could have been able to fight Muhammad Ali. “I know I’m nowhere I’m not in his league, but I’ll get there one day,” he says smiling, and I really believe him. Boxing is his means of redemption. It’s his form of revenge. You have to be highly motivated in this sport to endure the sacrifices it demands. Bomba’s given a lot up, but boxing has in exchange offered him a lot. Alone in the ring, against his opponent, he knows he needs to stay focused, remember his teachings and rely on himself.

The greatest boxer of all time began boxing by complete chance. While searching for his lost bicycle, Muhammad Ali stumbled upon a Louisville gym and landed in the ring. Whereas Bomba chose to step into it.
Before every match Bomba looks up to pray he has the strength to give his all. Winning is always the first option, while defeat is seen as collateral damage to learn from. As Muhammad Ali put it, “the greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”.